Cruising with a Katadyn 40E

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I could elaborate, but that's not the point of this thread and I don't want to raise the ire of the OP.

Go ahead IF you think it has anything to do with direct reports of cruisers getting by on the water from their 40E.

For me a 40E was only worth looking at IF it could quietly run 5+ hours every day. It doesn't appear to be the case so I probably will unsubscribe to this thread even though I started it.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I agree. When tied to a dock where water is endless our usage tends to almost double. We go from 2 gallons/day to nearly 4. I've tracked our usage pattern over the last three cruising season using a flow meter, so I know quite accurately how much we use.

There are reasons why our usage (two adults, full time, 1/2 the year) is on the low side. I could elaborate, but that's not the point of this thread and I don't want to raise the ire of the OP.

Two gallons a day while offshore? You are a water miser. Usually I see 4-6 gpd for each person on board. Having extra water is going to be a game changer.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Tellie

Two gallons a day while offshore? You are a water miser. Usually I see 4-6 gpd for each person on board. Having extra water is going to be a game changer.

I suppose... We don't ration water or use it with any sense of restriction. We use what we need, and certainly don't skimp for drinking or cooking. We carry approximately 200 gallons. But once we leave a dock, we're usually gone for many weeks to a few months. Much like food and diesel, we are conscious of water as a limited resource.

Other factors which explain our lower use include having a composting head, so no water use there. At the galley we use salt water for the bulk cleaning, followed by a fresh water spritz. Our shower is a cockpit version, and we often use rain water for this. We shower perhaps weekly, although wash daily (of course). We cruise in a more northerly area, so probably don't sweat as much. And we also don't swim much either, so no need for constant fresh water showers.

I have no doubt that if water became an infinite resource that we'd use more. As I say, when we're tied to the dock, our usage nearly doubles. If we ever go south I'm sure our usage would go up. But I am often amazed at the volumes some people say they use. I can't imagine how I would use so much.

Maybe someday I'll learn to be that extravagant -- once I get a WM .

[sailorboy1]

If I only used 2 gpd,carried 200 gal, and were happy with that, I wouldn't get a wm unless I KNEW I planned to be FAR away from a source to get get water.

I carry 150 gal and that is good for 3 weeks. It isn't that much a problem to do get water every 3 weeks and from that a wm is just stupid waster of money. I could go a fancy upscale marina every 3 weeks and it would take around 150 days to break even from a $3000 20gpd wm.

Unless you have low water tank capacity a wm is a crazy purchase unless you want the better life of being able to use a lot of water.

[robert sailor]

It's really more about availability than anything else. If you are doing your sailing on the East Coast or West coast or inland then fresh water is always available and you certainly don't need a watermaker. If your sailing in 3rd world countries where clean water is not always available or you have to buy bottled water at high costs or lugging of Jerry cans doesnt suit you because of your age or physical condition then a watermaker is nice to have.

If your sailing to outer islands that simply don't have any infrastructure then a watermaker is almost a must....I say almost because you can still catch rain, bath in salt water and even cook in some cases with salt water and do your dishes in salt water. That's what we all did before watermakers were invented so it's all doable. Of course back in the day most cruisers were much younger, fit and never thought twice about water use or getting along without refrigeration...now we are old farts and can afford lifestyle conveniences and we invent reasons we can't do without.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

If I only used 2 gpd,carried 200 gal, and were happy with that, I wouldn't get a wm unless I KNEW I planned to be FAR away from a source to get get water.

I carry 150 gal and that is good for 3 weeks. It isn't that much a problem to do get water every 3 weeks and from that a wm is just stupid waster of money. I could go a fancy upscale marina every 3 weeks and it would take around 150 days to break even from a $3000 20gpd wm.

Unless you have low water tank capacity a wm is a crazy purchase unless you want the better life of being able to use a lot of water.

Don't disagree SB. I've always said (somewhat embarrassingly given my other babbles ) that a WM is a want, not a need. As you say, with our water capacity and usage, we can stay out for months as is. I have never yet needed to go into a dock just for water.

I've never tried to justify a WM from a financial standpoint. But this does depend where one cruises. In some places, water is hard to access and/or pretty expensive. If I were cruising in those areas, the economic or even safety argument would be stronger.

For me, right now, I just like the idea of having a WM. It's all about the perception of freedom and independence, rather than any current need.

[Viking Sailor]

Some generators have sound reduction boxes. Any thoughts on whether or not sound reduction is viable for the 40e?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

...If your sailing to outer islands that simply don't have any infrastructure then a watermaker is almost a must....I say almost because you can still catch rain, bath in salt water and even cook in some cases with salt water and do your dishes in salt water. That's what we all did before watermakers were invented so it's all doable. Of course back in the day most cruisers were much younger, fit and never thought twice about water use or getting along without refrigeration...now we are old farts and can afford lifestyle conveniences and we invent reasons we can't do without.

(I resemble this comment more and more ).

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Unless you have low water tank capacity a wm is a crazy purchase unless you want the better life of being able to use a lot of water.

Or you don't want your schedule and route to be driven by going where you can get water. Or have to move in bad weather because you need water. Or - in my case - nursing a rotator cuff injury that would be challenged by hauling onboard 5 gal (whats surgery avoidance worth?) But overall it is a $5k convenience item.

That said, we've made some friends filling jugs in remote places for people that were in dire situation.

[wingssail]

We have used a PUR Power Survivor 35 for 25 years. I have the manual for a Katadyn 40E and it appears to be a vaguely similar machine and was, of course, an evolutionary development by PUR and Katadyn.

It produces 1.3 gallons per hour using 35 watts. It has been reliable but twice in 25 years we have replaced the membrane. Also twice I have replaced all the O-rings and small parts. We have a simple installation and no TDS, just our tongue to determine if the water is OK. There is a prefilter and some valves to select input and direct the output.

I don't find the noise objectionable, but then we only use it while the engine is running and charging the batteries, that to ensure that there is enough voltage to keep the watermaker motor fully supplied. (we don't have a large solar array).

We consume 5 gallons of water per day while cruising (two people) and running the watermaker for only 1-2 hours does not supply enough for us.

We fill our 140 gallon tanks at ports of call and then use that water for cooking or washing and use the watermaker water for drinking. We fill small bottles which are then refrigerated. The water is generally excellent.

That is the approach we used circumnavigating. It required us to be in port about once a month, which was fine.

I would love to have a 5-8 gallon watermaker, then our time away from port would be unlimited, however, that does imply more electrical usage....In cruising there is no free lunch. Of course a VLSA (very large solar array) comes close. We don't have that and don't want the windage or weight aloft, so we bring the problem upon ourselves.

Recently we have had problems with the quality of the water. On start-up we get a rotten egg smell in the water, which clears out after about 15 minutes. Flushing the pre-filter canister helps that problem, and a new filter cures it. Other cruisers with other water makers have complained about this issue so I think it is a problem with the bio-load in the sea in this area.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

But I am often amazed at the volumes some people say they use. I can't imagine how I would use so much. .

You have no idea. You should see and hear some of the requests I get. Last month we just installed a 24Volt, 75 gallon an hour watermaker on a 42' Cat and the customer wants another 30 gallon an hour watermaker in the other hull for backup. No matter how hard I try at times to convince some people that they might be making a wrong decision, I always have to fall back on "The customer is always right" even the hard headed ones. "Especially sailors". And I can say that, cause I are one.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Unless you have low water tank capacity a wm is a crazy purchase unless you want the better life of being able to use a lot of water.

There's a bit more to it than that. Yes they are expensive no doubt, but they are what I call freedom machines. When you run out of water you have to point your boat in search of it which many times is in the opposite direction you want to sail. There are times when you are at that perfect secluded area and you just don't want to leave. There are those great times when you meet another cruiser that doesn't have a watermaker and you give them 50 free gallons of water and they are your best friends forever. You explain to your watermakerless new friends that you watermaker can also make beer and wine. Just give them some free water and over they come with beer and wine. Then there are those mornings around 7am when in a nice anchorage you awake groggy eyed to the sound of a few itty bitty outboards and two rowers heading to shore with a dingy full of blue jugs. You laugh a little and then go back to bed. You really smile when around lunch time the dingy captains are just about finished filling 200 gallon tanks 20 gallons at a time.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by wingssail;3171911Recently we have had problems with the quality of the water. On start-up we get a rotten egg smell in the water, which clears out after about 15 minutes. [URL="https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/tags/flushing.html"

Flushing[/URL] the pre-filter canister helps that problem, and a new filter cures it. Other cruisers with other water makers have complained about this issue so I think it is a problem with the bio-load in the sea in this area.

No, this is a common problem with watermakers. Most of the time they are either not properly set up for fresh water flushing on automatic systems or they are not being flushed manually properly. You need a hand held TDS meter to test the brine discharge after a fresh water flush. Get this down to 1,000PPMs or lower and you'll solve this problem.

[Tellie]

Oh, and one last thought, and this is NOT a shot at anyone who says this. But my favorite line is "You don't need a watermaker" Tis true, but then you don't "NEED" a boat either.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by wingssail

...We consume 5 gallons of water per day while cruising (two people) ...

So this is on par with our usage. When not using salt water we average about 4 gallons. Nice to know we're not completely off the rails .

Originally Posted by Tellie

You have no idea. You should see and hear some of the requests I get. Last month we just installed a 24Volt, 75 gallon an hour watermaker on a 42' Cat and the customer wants another 30 gallon an hour watermaker in the other hull for backup. No matter how hard I try at times to convince some people that they might be making a wrong decision, I always have to fall back on "The customer is always right" even the hard headed ones. "Especially sailors". And I can say that, cause I are one.

I bet you've heard it all. I know we are on the low end of usage, but honestly ... I can't image how I would possibly use that much water. I'd have to basically turn on the tap and let it run constantly. Who does that?!?

Originally Posted by Tellie

There's a bit more to it than that. Yes they are expensive no doubt, but they are what I call freedom machines.

Originally Posted by Tellie

...You explain to your watermakerless new friends that you watermaker can also make beer and wine. Just give them some free water and over they come with beer and wine.

The best rationale I've heard yet .